Stevie Wonder - Innervisions

Stevie Wonder was in the same position as Marvin Gaye when the 1960's turned into the 1970's both were big stars for Motown and both wanted to break out of the factory system that Berry Gordy had established and which had become a straightjacket artistically for them. Gaye of course made the very socially/politically aware classic album What's Going On which broke open the dam at Motown and allowed Stevie to eventually to strike off in his own personal artistic direction to make Innervisions and a string of other great records including Fulfillingness' First Finale and Songs In The Key Of Life. Not only was it great music but it sold very well which I am sure made Berry very happy. I know many people consider Talking Book one of his best but for some reason I have never sat down and listened to the whole album straight through so I only know a couple of songs on it.

Innervisions is filled with soul, funk, R&B and pop with state of the art production, quite a bit of synthesizers, fantastic musicality and songs of hope, despair and wisdom. But at it's heart his music is filled with humanity and that is his genius. Too High is about the peril of drugs with a wall of voices over a funky, jazzy tune. He's Misstra Know It All is a mid tempo ballad like song apparently about Tricky Dick Nixon or perhaps just politicians in general but that is not surprising considering the Watergate scandal unfolding at the time of the albums original release date. A cautionary tale for us all and certainly extremely relevant at this time with George Bush in office. Good art is like that. It is one of my favorite tunes by Stevie.

Buy it here.